Operating stand



Jan. 14, 1958 s. w. HAYES OPERATING STAND 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 21, 1953 Ewan) 1 Jan. 14, 1958 s. w. HAYES 2,819,857

OPERATING STAND Filed Dec. 21, 1953 s sheets-sheet 2 S. W. HAYES OPERATING STAND Jan. 14, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 21, 1953 yll lllll'l IIHHIIHIII United States Patent'O OPERATING STAND Stanley W. Hayes, Wayne County, ance Company, diana Wayne Township, near Richmond, Ind., assignor to Hayes Track Appli- Richmond, Ind., a corporation of In- The present invention relates to railway track appliances and particularly to operating stands and has for its primary object the provision of a new and improved operating stand for derails, switches and the like.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved operating stand including an operating lever having a parallel throw, i. e., a movement in a plane parallel to the rail.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved operating stand with a parallel throw and utilizing a novel operating mechanism interconnecting an operating lever to a rod connected to the device to be operated and comprising an oscillatable prong and a cooperating slotted member receiving the prong and movable about a vertical axis.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved operating stand which can be readily constructed as by fabrication.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description of an illustrative embodiment thereof, in the course of which reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front View of an operating stand constructed in accordance with the present invention and shown installed on adjacent rail supporting cross-ties. The stand shown may be used for operating various devices such as derails, switches and the like. In the illustrated view the operating lever is shown in a vertical and intermediate position from which it is movable in opposite directions to its limit postions, whch are generally horizontal, as indicated in phantom;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view, partly broken away, taken along the line 22 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view, also broken away;

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line 44 of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Figs. 1 and 2 but with the operating lever at one of its limit positions (the left limit position as viewed in Fig. 1);

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional line 6-6 of Figs. 1 and 2; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a vertical shaft forming part of the apparatus and constituting what may be called a prong slot assembly.

In brief, the apparatus of the present invention includes a main support and housing constituted by a base plate, a base forging of generally U-shape mounted in inverted fashion upon the base plate and removable front and back covers. The operating stand, which will be considered to be used for operating a derail, is designed to produce substantially reciprocating movement of a derail operating rod and in a direction transverse to the rails, i. e., in a direction parallel to the rail. This movement is produced by an operating lever which is movable in a plane parallel to the rail and thus at right angles to the direction of movement of the actual derail operating rod,

view taken along the Patented Jan. 14, 1958 which, in usual fashion moves at right angles to the rail to move the derail between its two positions on and off the rail. The operating lever and the derail operating rod are interconnected by a novel mechanism including an inclined prong and an associated oscillatable structure provided with a slot into which the prong fits. The mechanism is mounted in the supporting apparatus with the prong preferably at an angle on a crank secured to a horizontally extending shaft to which the operating lever is connected and with the slotted structure mounted for oscillation about a vertical axis. The shaft is preferably quite short and the crank is constituted by a short piece, made as from plate and apertured near one end to receive the end of the shaft to which it is secured as by welding. The prong is constructed to have one end abut in angular relationship against and is welded to the end of the crank arm projecting from the shaft. The slot defining structure is fabricated from a pair of opposed coaxial vertically disposed shafts interconnected by side plates secured to the shafts in spaced apart vertical relation, thereby to provide the slot. The bottoms of the side plates abut against the base plate, thereby to provide a good thrust bearing structure.

Referring now to the drawings, it will be noted that the operating stand of the present invention is indicated as a whole by the reference character 10. It may be used to operate a derail and includes an operating lever 12 which is movable in a plane parallel to a rail or railway track, thereby to produce reciprocating movement of a derail operating rod 14 located substantially between adjacent cross ties 16 and above the ballast 18, the movement taking place in a direction normal to movement of the lever 12 and thus parallel to the ties 16 and at right angles to the rail. The operating stand includes also a main support and housing indicated generally by the reference character 20, a base plate 22 and a base forging 24 of generally U-shape and mounted in inverted position upon the base plate. The apparatus includes also a prong assembly indicated generally by the reference character 39 and a cooperating shaft or slot assembly indicated generally by the reference character 32, both of which are mounted in the support and largely within the housing, as

will be described shortly, preferably connected for movement with the operating lever 12 while the slot assembly is operatively connected to the derail operating rod 14.

The base structure 20 which includes the aforesaid base plate and base forging is readily made as from these two parts. The base plate 20 is constructed and arranged to be seated upon adjacent cross ties 16. It is provided with a number of openings 34 for conventional railroad spikes 36 which can be driven into the ties thereby to secure the apparatus rigidly and securely in place. It may be provided as shown with the spaced apart downwardly extending projections or flanges 38 adapted to abut against the vertical sides of adjacent ties thereby additionally to secure the stand against undesired movement. The base forging is secured as by welding to the upper side of the base plate. In order to protect the major moving parts of the apparatus which are mounted underneath the base forging 24, the stand is provided with removable front and rear cover plates 40 and 42, respectively. The cover plates are removably held in place by the L or right angled brackets 44 which may be welded to the base plate and base forging.

The operating lever 12 is preferably provided with a lower portion 46, see particularly Fig. 4, disposed at an angle relative to the major portion. The portion 46 is flattened and secured at its lower end to a horizontally disposed and short shaft 48 mounted for oscillatory movement in an external bearing block 50 secured as by welding to the base plate 22 and extending inside the housing. The latter is preferably of square configuration to faciliatar-w tate assembly and it is provided with an opening 52 at its upper side to facilitate lubrication of the shaft 48.

The prong assembly 38 includes, in addition to the shaft 48, a generally vertically disposed crank indicated by the reference character 54 and which may he made from plate stock. The crank and flat portion 46 ofthe operating handle preferably are abutted against the ends 'of the bearing block thereby to prevent undesired movement of the operating mechanism. The crank arm is apertured near one end as shown at 57 whereby it can readily be assembled with and secured to the shaft 48.

The oscillatory movements of the operating lever 12 and of the crank 54 which moves with it are converted into oscillatory movements of the vertical shaft 32. This is done by mounting upon the crank a prong 56 which, as best illustrated in Fig. 6, extends at about from the crank 54 toward the axis of the shaft 48 so as to intersect the shaft axis. The prong abuts against the outer portion of one side of the crank arm whereby the two can readily be secured together as by welding. The prong fits rather closely in a prong slot 58 formed in the vertical shaft assembly 32. The prong 56 is made of cylindrical stock while the slot 58 is rectangular in cross-section.

The shaft assembly 32 actuated by the prong assembly is mounted in the base structure for movement about a vertical axis intersecting the axes of shaft 48 and of the prong. The shaft assembly includes the generally vertical and parallel but spaced apart plates 60, see particularly Fig. 7, defining the side walls of the slot 58. The upper end of the slot is closed by a centrally apertured plate 62 into which an upper shaft 64 extends and to which the shaft is secured as by welding, see Fig. 6. The lower end of the slot is closed by the cylindrical shaft member 66, against the end of which the plates abut so they can easily be secured together in such manner that the bottom portions 67 of the plates constitute thrust bearings for the shaft assembly, the length of the shaft 66 is extended somewhat so that it can be used to receive an eye bolt 68 which is operatively connected to the derail operating rod 14. Member 66 may be provided with an internally threaded opening 70 to receive the eye bolt.

The vertical shaft assembly 3?. is mounted for rotation in an upper hearing '72 formed in the bight of the base forging 24 and a lower bearing '74 formed in the base plate 22, as best illustrated in Fig. 6.

It will be noted from the foregoing detailed description of the invention that the operating stand can be fabricated readily from a number of component parts including the prong and vertical shaft assemblies, which can in turn be fabricated readily from a number of. simple component parts. The completed stand is rigid and can be operated simply and readily.

Ordinarily the operating lever 12 will be in one or the other of its two limit positions which are shown in phantom in Fig. l. derail from one of the other of its two positions is to throw the lever 12. When the lever 1 2 is thrown the shaft 48 and crank 54 are rotated about the axis of the shaft. At the same time the prong 56 is moved and as it. moves it imparts to the vertical shaft assembly a. rotary movement about a vertical axis. This rotary movement results from the particular location and disposition of the prong 56 within, its associated elongated slot 58. In the present arrangement the angular movement of the vertical shaft assembly 32 is This produces the desired reciprocating movement of the derail operating rod 14 and in an irreversible manner.

While the present invention has been described in connection with the details of a particular embodiment thereof,- it should be understood that these details are not intended to be limitative of the invention except insofar as set forth in the accompanying claims.

All that is necessary to operate the Having thus described my invention what I desire to secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An operating stand for a device such as a derail or the like, including in combination, a base plate adapted to be mounted upon adjacent cross ties, a base forging of generally U-shape mounted in inverted position above and having leg portions secured to said base plate, closure plates secured to said plate and forgingv and constituting a housing therewith, one of said plates being apertured, a vertical shaft assembly including means comprising a pair of vertically spaced apart shaftportions and laterally spaced apart side plates interconnecting said shaft portions and defining a vertical rectangular slot disposed in said housing between the, bight of said base forging and L said base plate and rotatably mounted on said plate and forging with the lower ends of said side plates abutting against said base plate, said shaft assembly having a lower end portion extending below said base plate, a prong mountedat an angle ofabout 45- relative to the axis of said vertical shaft and having one end in said slot and the other end outside said slot, a crank abutted against and secured to said other end of said prong, a shaft secured to the opposite end of said crank for oscillating the crank and rotatable about an axis intersecting the axis of rotation of said. vertical shaft assembly, a hearing block mounted on said base plate between the legs of said U-shaped forging and extending within the housing through the aperture in said one closure plate for rotatably supporting saidshaft, an operating lever secured to the end of said shaft opposite said crank, and. a device operating mechanism secured-to the lower end portion of said vertical shaft assembly.

2. An operating stand for a device such. as a derail or the like, including in combination, a base plate adapted to be mounted upon adjacent cross ties, a base forging of generally U-shape mounted in inverted position above and having leg portions secured to said base plate, closure plates secured to said plate and forging and constituting a housing therewith, one of said plates having an aperture, a vertical shaft assembly including means comprising a pair of vertically spaced apart shaft portions and laterally spaced apart side plates interconnecting said shaft portions and defining a vertical rectangular slot disposed in said housing between the bight of said base forging and said base plate and rotatably mounted on said plate and forging with the lower ends of said side plates abutting against said base plate, said shaft assembly having a portion extending below said base plate, a prong mounted at an angle of about 45 relative to the axis of said vertical shaft and having one end in said slot and the other end outside said slot, a crank abutted against and secured to said other end of said prong, a shaft secured to the opposite end of said crank and extending through said aperture in said plate to theexterior. of said housing for oscillating the crank and rotatable about an axis intersecting the axis of rotation of said vertical shaft assembly, a bearing block mountedon. said base plate between the legs of said U-shaped forging for rotatably supporting said shaft, an operating lever secured to the end of said shaft opposite said crank, and a device operating mechanism secured to the lower end of saidvertical. shaft'assembly.

References Cited in the file of this patent 

